15
Wisdom Calls Aloud A Study for Children on Wisdom and the Fear of the Lord By Sally Michael
Wisdom Calls Aloud
A Study for Children on Wisdom and the Fear of the Lord
By Sally Michael
Wisdom Calls Aloud, © 2009 Sally Michael, Published by Children Desiring Godii
Children Desiring GodP.O. Box 2901Minneapolis, MN 55402-0901
Toll-free: [email protected]
Copyright © 2009 by Sally Michael. All rights reserved.Scripture quotation taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION, copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. The “NIV” and “New International Version” trademarks are registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Offi ce by International Bible Society. All rights reserved.This publication includes images from Jupiterimages Corporation © 2007 , and its licensors, which are protected by the copyright laws of the U.S., Canada, and elsewhere. Used under license.
Wisdom Calls Aloud, © 2009 Sally Michael, Published by Children Desiring God vii
PrefaceWisdom Calls Aloud
This generation of children is growing up in a dangerous world. Evil is disguised as good and Satan is deceptive, making his lies attractive. But even more so, the natural human heart yearns for that which is wrong, as it stands in opposition to God’s greatness and goodness. Jesus is the light that brings us to God and points us toward what is good and right.
Every day, children are faced with the calls of wisdom and foolishness. It is against their sin nature to love what is good and right, and to do it. Their hearts are attracted to what is bad and wrong, and they often act on that heart desire. Yet wisdom is a treasure worth seeking with all their hearts. What will incline them to seek wis-dom and reject foolishness?
The love of wisdom and what is good and right starts with the work of God in the heart. When God inclines a child’s heart to be in awe of His greatness and goodness, the result is the fear of the Lord, which is the beginning of wisdom. The strength to reject foolishness and the lies of the enemy comes from knowing God, the Source of Wisdom. When children embrace Jesus, the Light in a dark world, they will treasure wisdom and walk in its ways.
The fear of the LORD
is the beginning of wisdom,
and knowledge of the Holy One
is understanding.
Proverbs 9:10
Wisdom Calls Aloud, © 2009 Sally Michael, Published by Children Desiring God ix
vii Preface
Introduction
1 Curriculum Overview
2 Intended Use
2 Session Structure Worship Time Large Group Lesson Presentation Small Group Application Time Activities
4 Lesson Format Memory Verse Key Themes Scripture Visuals Preparation Lesson Introduction Lesson Focus Sword Drills Parent Resource Pages Student Booklet New Testament
Lessons
1 Two Competing Calls
2 The Way of the Fool
3 The Way of the Wise
4 The Fruit of Wisdom
5 Seek Wisdom
Appendices
I Visuals Not Providedon Resource Packet CD
II Songs for Worship
III Memory Verse Games
Table of ContentsWisdom Calls Aloud
Wisdom Calls Aloud, © 2009 Sally Michael, Published by Children Desiring God 1
Lesson 1 Lesson 1
Two Competing Calls M E MO R Y V E R S E :A fool fi nds pleasure in evil conduct, but a man of understanding delights in wisdom. PROVERBS 10:23
M A I N I D E A S :> Wisdom and foolishness call out to us.
> Wisdom is loving what God says is good and right, and doing it; foolishness is loving what God says is bad and wrong, and doing it.
> The choice to follow wisdom or foolishness is determined by what we love; our actions come from our hearts.
> Wisdom leads to life and favor from God, but foolishness leads to death and destruction.
S C R I P T U R E : 1) Proverbs 9:13-15 4) Proverbs 9:17 6) Proverbs 8:34-352) Proverbs 1:20-21 5) Proverbs 10:233) Proverbs 8:6 6) Proverbs 1:32
V I S UA L S :
P R E PA R AT I O N :> Study the Scripture passages carefully and prayerfully. Ask God to make them real in your own
heart. Be open to what God may be teaching you in this lesson. Study the lesson well. Pray for the students in your class.
> NOTE: Each child will need a Wisdom Calls Aloud Booklet, available through www.childrendesiringGOD.org. These booklets include activities designed to go along with each lesson. You may want to provide crayons, markers, colored pencils, stickers, stamps, glitter, etc. for the children to use with their booklets.
> NOTE: Each child should receive a New Testament with Psalms and Proverbs, or a Bible.
> Bible> Party Invitation and Practice Reminder
(Resource Packet CD)> Foolishness Calls and Wisdom Calls
(Resource Packet CD)> CD player and 4-5 CDs with different
kinds of music (e.g., classical, country and western, etc.) or a radio
> Wisdom and Foolishness Defi nitions (Resource Packet CD)
> Tacks or tape> Chalkboard/chalk or white board/marker> Death and Life (Resource Packet CD)> Materials for chosen activities
Wisdom Calls Aloud, © 2009 by Sally Michael, Published by Children Desiring God2
Two Competing Calls
Introduction(Give the following illustration.)
Suppose you got this in the mail.
(Show the Party Invitation and read it to the class.)
You are invited to a birthday party for James Monroe.
Saturday, April 16 at 10:00 a.m.
This sounds like fun. But you have a problem. You also have this reminder on the refrigerator door.
(Show the Practice Reminder and read it to the class.)
Don’t forget about play practice!
Saturday, April 16 at 10:00 a.m.
You can’t go to the party and to play practice.
(Show the Party Invitation.)
This calls to you, “Come to the party!”
(Show the Practice Reminder.)
This calls to you, “Come to play practice.” Which will you listen to? Will you listen to the party invitation or to the play practice reminder? You can’t do both. You will have to make a choice.
Lesson• In life we have lots of choices—some important and some not so important.
• The book of Proverbs in the Bible tells us about a VERY IMPORTANT choice we have. It tells us about two things calling to us. But we can only follow one of them.
• One of those calls is the call of foolishness.
(Read the following verse, or have a sword drill if the children you are teaching are familiar with the Bible and ask a child to read it.)
Proverbs 9:13-15—The woman Folly is loud; she is undisciplined and without knowl-edge. 14She sits at the door of her house, on a seat at the highest point of the city, 15calling out to those who pass by, who go straight on their way.
“Folly” is the same thing as “foolishness.” Foolishness calls out to us. Foolishness is loud and ignorant.
(Show the Foolishness Calls visual.)
SWORD DRILL INSTRUCTIONS
ARE IN THE INTRODUCTION.
• The other call is the call of wisdom.
(Read the following verse or have a sword drill and ask a child to read it.)
Proverbs 1:20-21—Wisdom calls aloud in the street, she raises her voice in the public squares; 21at the head of the noisy streets she cries out, in the gateways of the city she makes her speech:
Wisdom also calls to us.
(Show the Wisdom Calls visual.)
• Both wisdom and foolishness call to us. We must choose which one we will follow.
This is what wisdom calls to us.
(Read the following verse with a noble tone.)
Proverbs 8:6—Listen, for I have worthy things to say; I open my lips to speak what is right.
• Wisdom is always calling out to us to do what God says is good and right.
(Choose a child to read the Wisdom Defi nition visual.)
WISDOM
Loving what God says is right and good, and doing it.
(Lead a discussion to help the children discover what this defi nition means.)
NOTE: Be sure to emphasize the words “sometimes” and “usually” so that the children under-stand that even those who love wisdom SOMETIMES act foolishly—they are not perfect. But those who are truly wise do not USUALLY act foolishly or continue to act foolishly. Most of the time they act wisely.
For example:
What kinds of things are right and good? [kindness, generosity, …]
How will you act if you love these right and good things? [kind, generous, …]
If you love (kindness), will you usually act (mean)? If you love (generosity), will you usually act (selfishly)? You may sometimes act (mean) or (selfish), but if you truly love (kindness) and (generosity) you will not usually act (mean) or (selfish).
What comes first?
(Draw a heart on the board.)
The love of what is good and right comes first.
Then the action comes from what is in the heart.
(Draw an arrow from the heart and write the word ACTION.)
Wisdom Calls Aloud, © 2009 by Sally Michael, Published by Children Desiring God 3
Action
Lesson 1
4
What you do comes from what you love.
Wisdom is loving what God says is right and good and doing it.
(Show the Wisdom Defi nition visual again and have the class read it aloud.)
• Foolishness calls to us, too. But foolishness calls out to us to do what God says is bad and wrong.
This is the kind of lie that foolishness calls out to us.
(Read the following verse in a conniving voice.)
Proverbs 9:17—”Stolen water is sweet; food eaten in secret is delicious!”
• Foolishness calls out to us to do what is bad and wrong—like stealing and being secretive about the bad things we do.
Foolishness is the opposite of wisdom.
(Choose a child to read the Foolish Defi nition.)
FOOLISHNESS
Loving what God says is bad and wrong, and doing it.
What kinds of things are wrong? How will you act if you love these wrong things?
Foolishness is loving what God says is bad and wrong and doing it.
(Show the Foolishness Defi nition again and have the class read it aloud.)
• You have a choice of following the way of wisdom or the way of foolishness.
• You can’t follow both because they are calling you to go in different directions. Wisdom is call-ing you to do what God says is good and right. Foolishness is calling you to do what God says is bad and wrong.
How will you decide whether to follow wisdom or foolishness?
Illustration
(Ask a child to come to the front. Show him the CDs and ask him to choose one he likes to play on the CD player. Play a bit of his selection.)
Make the following points1:
• The CDs aren’t all the same. There is a wide variety. (You may want to demonstrate this.)
• The student could choose any CD he wanted.
• His choice was determined by the kind of music he likes. He chose [kind of music] because he likes [kind of music]. He didn’t choose [kind of music] because he doesn’t like [kind of music].
Two Competing Calls
Wisdom Calls Aloud, © 2009 by Sally Michael, Published by Children Desiring God
CDS AND CD PLAYER, OR RADIO
1If you are using a radio for the illustration, demonstrate that there are different stations with different kinds of program-ming. Ask the student to tune the radio to the station of his choice. Adapt the illustration accordingly.
Wisdom Calls Aloud, © 2009 by Sally Michael, Published by Children Desiring God 5
• Just as we choose CDs because of what we like, we choose to follow wisdom or foolishness because of what we like. What we love determines what we will do.
• Whether we listen to wisdom or foolishness is determined by our heart.
(Ask a child to read the following verse.)
Proverbs 10:23—A fool finds pleasure in evil conduct, but a man of understanding delights in wisdom.
• Fools, foolish people, like doing what God says is bad and wrong, because their hearts love what is bad and wrong.
• Wise people love wisdom and doing what God says is good and right, because they love what is good and right.
• The call we listen to—wisdom or foolishness—is determined by our hearts.
Which call you listen to is very important because wisdom and foolishness don’t lead you to the same place.
(Read the following verses and ask the children to fi nd out where following wisdom and where following foolishness lead.)
Proverbs 1:32—For the waywardness of the simple will kill them, and the complacen-cy of fools will destroy them;
Foolishness leads to destruction and death.
(Show the Death visual.)
(Explain to the children that wisdom is speaking in the following verse.)
Proverbs 8:34-35—Blessed is the man who listens to me, watching daily at my doors, waiting at my doorway.35For whoever finds me finds life and receives favor from the LORD.
[Wisdom leads to life and favor.]
(Show the Life visual.)
It seems like a simple choice doesn’t it? Foolishness leads to death and destruction; wisdom leads to life and God’s favor or blessing on your life. But our hearts won’t always make the right choice because sometimes we love the wrong things. How can we follow the right and good way of wisdom? This is what we will be finding out by the end of these lessons.
(End with prayer.)
Lesson 1
6
ApplicationNOTE: Application can most effectively be done in a small group setting. The questions are suggestions for possible directions to take the discussion. Pray for wisdom and ask the Holy Spirit to guide you. Be sensitive to the answers and the needs of the children.
Be sure to pray for the children and encourage them to pray for each other.
How does wisdom call to you?
(Remind the children that the defi nition of wisdom is “Loving what God says is right and good and doing it.”) [through parents, the Bible, good friends, teachers]
How does foolishness call to you?
(Remind the children that the defi nition of foolishness is “Loving what God says is bad and wrong and doing it.”) [through ungodly TV shows, bad friends, our own hearts that want what is wrong]
Can you give an example of loving what God says is good and right, and acting on that love? [being kind to a new person at school or to someone who doesn’t like you, making peace with a brother or sister instead of fi ghting, obeying parents, etc.]
Can you give an example of loving what God says is wrong, and acting on that love? [steal-ing, lying, disobeying parents, etc.]
Our actions show what is in our hearts. Think of something you did this week. What did this tell you about your heart?
Is it easier to follow the call of wisdom or the call of foolishness? Why?
Do you find yourself being pulled in the direction of foolishness or in the way of wisdom? Give some examples.
Can you change what you love? Can you make yourself love what is good and right?
Activity1. Work on the booklet pages for this lesson. (See explanation at the start of this lesson.)
2. Play a Key Verse Game. (See the appendix for suggestions.)
3. Play some relay races. When a child gets to the far side of the room, he must say the defi nition of wisdom. Then he can run back and tag his teammate. Do the same with the defi nition of foolishness.
4. Using sidewalk chalk, have the children draw illustrations of the fool (who fi nds pleasure in evil conduct) and the wise person (who delights in wisdom). Then, write the words to Psalm 10:23.
Proverbs 10:23—A fool finds pleasure in evil conduct, but a man of understanding delights in wisdom.
Two Competing Calls
Wisdom Calls Aloud, © 2009 by Sally Michael, Published by Children Desiring God
7
5. If you have a bird call or know how to make a bird call/s, demonstrate it to the children. (If you are making the bird call, have the children practice it.) Explain that birds respond to a call that is familiar to them—what is according to their nature. We do the same—we respond to wisdom or foolishness according to our nature, according to what we like.
Send HomeNew Testament with Psalms and Proverbs, or Bible
Wisdom Calls Aloud, © 2009 by Sally Michael, Published by Children Desiring God
Lesson 1
Student Project Booklet
Completed by
Wisdom Calls Aloud © 2009 Sally Michael, Published by Children Desiring God 1
Children Desiring GodP.O. Box 2901Minneapolis, MN 55402-0901
Toll-free: [email protected]
Copyright © 2008 by Sally Michael. All rights reserved.Scripture quotation taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION, copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. The “NIV” and “New International Version” trademarks are registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Offi ce by International Bible Society. All rights reservedThis publication includes images from Jupiterimages Corporation © 2007, and its licensors, and from Art Explosion 600,000 Images ©1995-98 Nova Corporation, which are protected by the copyright laws of the U.S.,Canada and elsewhere.Used under license.
WWisdomisdom
loving what God loving what God says is goodsays is good
and rightand rightand doing itand doing it
Lesson 1
Lesson 1
Wisdom Calls Aloud © 2009 Sally Michael, Published by Children Desiring God4 Wisdom Calls Aloud © 2009 Sally Michael, Published by Children Desiring God 5
MockerMockermakes fun of God
and the things of God
Lesson 2
What kinds of things does a mocker say?Write your ideas in the speech bubbles.
TWO COMPETING CALLS – REVIEW
Instructions: Fill in the blanks statements using the word bank at the bottom of the page, use each word only once.
Wisdom and foolishness _________ to us.
We can’t listen to both ___________ and _______________.
What we listen to and do comes from what we ________.
Wisdom is loving what _______ says is _________ and right.
Foolishness is loving what God says is ______ and _______.
Foolishness leads to ____________.
Wisdom leads to __________.
WORD BANK
bad call death foolishness
God good life love
wisdom wrong
Wisdom Calls Aloud © 2009 Sally Michael, Published by Children Desiring God 21
Lesson 4
Wisdom Calls Aloud © 2009 Sally Michael, Published by Children Desiring God20
Lesson 4
Blessed is the manwho fi nds wisdom,the man who gains
understanding.
FIND THESE WORDS & PHRASES BELOW:
LOVES WISDOM GOD’S COMMANDS
HATES EVIL SELF-CONTROLLED
LISTENS CORRECTION
LOOKS AHEAD TRUSTS GOD
F Q W W A R X T A Y C D O DQ L O V E S W I S D O M R EP E I U I O C L O P R S A LI S R L A N D I J F R G H LJ L K I I L E V K Z E N X OE C O V V S B E H N C M F RN T D O G S T S U R T B J TB H R E K Z S E R B I L E NG S F L N S T T N H O M D OH W C G H E A A J S N B W CA C T D I K S H R P A G C FU E D K E I D T E B L H A LP S V N S I M L O A O Y Z EG O D S C O M M A N D S X S
